


Misleading Memory

by Saraga_arts



Series: Gumlee One-Shots [1]
Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Cussing, Gumlee - Freeform, M/M, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 00:02:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11263791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saraga_arts/pseuds/Saraga_arts
Summary: "I'm..." your friend. No, not really... But it was a new start, a clean slate to make things better! Go on Gumball, you can do it! "I'm your boyfriend..."The two looked at each other in shock, both just as surprised as the other. This really wasn't how Gumball had imagined things would turn out. He only wanted to say friend but ended up adding the extra word in front of it, forgetting the gap between the words, and completely changed the definition without even meaning to!





	Misleading Memory

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings:  
> Swearing  
> Mentioning of past abuse  
> Boy x Boy. NOT YAOI

※※※

"I'm your boyfriend..."

The two looked at each other in shock, both just as surprised as the other. This really wasn't how Gumball had imagined things would turn out.

※※※

Fionna had brought in the only vampire in AAA to the royal taffy infirmary, rather than to Doctor Prince and his kingdom, trusting Gumball more with this since he was the only one who seemed to be able to tolerate Marshall. It would have been dismissed and ignored by Gumball like always if it wasn't for the fact that Marshall looked as if he were dying. Again. He had been taken to the castle infirmary on a stretcher, rushed there actually, by the taffy prince himself who seemed as though he was dying alongside him with worry. Of course, this was a major shocker to the adventuress, who had never seen a single word of care come from Gumball's mouth for the vampire, was now drowning the vampire with all the care his taffy heart could muster. It was unsettling to say the least.

Gumball tended to the vampire for a week, seeing no signs of the vampire ever waking up. His instant healing had somehow stopped working or it was working but wasn't strong or fast enough to heal the problem, just stop it from progressing. Another week passed and Gumball had started to lose hope of the vampire ever waking up, which was understandable, but Fionna stood firm in her belief that her best friend was bound to wake up. And as faith would have it, he woke up.

The vampire had just woken up, a couple of days after said week, his eyes fluttering away the blinding light. Everything seemed to be a blur and all the sounds around were hazy, nothing clear enough to determine whether he was finally dead or not. Regardless of his high hopes of being dead and forever blind or deaf, he was finally able to see the unclear blurbs as nurses all around him, somewhat making out what they were saying.

"Should we-..."

"Best to tell-... Hate..."

"Prince-... Vampire is-..."

"Dismiss-... Adventure-... Injury..."

After a few moments, the vampire could clearly see a pink man in front of him and two cake shaped nurses on his side. What the fuck? "Are you aware of your surroundings, Marshall?" The lights were still stinging the vampire's eyes, but he was glad he could make out somewhat of the place.

"Yes...? A hospital...? Who the fuck are you?!" The vampire was shocked and cranky, to say the least. Marshall was most definitely not pleased by anything around him in his current situation, nor was he okay with random strangers all around him.

The nurses and the pink man were taken aback by the rude way they were treated for saving his life, not expecting it. For in the condition he was arrived in, it was highly likely that Marshall wasn't going to survive. Gumball disregarded the remark as a typical Marshall comment and recomposed himself. "Language, Marshall," Gumball put up his stoic façade, making sure that anything else Marshall would say in such a state wouldn't falter his mood or demeanor. "Nurse Waffle, please tell Fionna Mertens that her friend has awoken. And Nurse Pound cake, what are his statistics?"

As the first nurse scampered out, Nurse Pound cake stumbled with her clip board, hastily flipping through the papers until she landed on the right page. "Well... He had a deep wound on his head and countless smaller ones all over his torso. Miss Mertens clarified that one of the monsters her and Mr. Abadeer were facing had caused them. He's been prescribed with an antibiotic and an analgesic that he must take daily. I'm not sure about the side effects but usually with these types of cases they either go into a permanent coma, get paralyzed or um... Memory loss... But not permanent! Well... Sometimes... I think... I strongly believe that he's lost his memory too..." Gumball gave a numb nod to the nurse's words, gently and gracefully taking the clip board from her with a gentle smile and assessing things for himself like he didn't believe the nurse -- or he didn't want to believe. "My prince... may I ask something?" Meanwhile, the vampire had simply been sitting and taking in what had just been told -- feeling quite shitty for snapping now. Gumball on the other hand just gave a small hum, accepting the nurses request. "Shouldn't he be... Tied up? He might attack us..."

This enraged the vampire. How dare the nurse! He wasn't like that and NO ONE understood that. As Marshall started to show symptoms of anger, Gumball simply raised his hand and dismissed Marshall, instantly halting the outburst. "No. That will not be necessary. If you do not mind, could you please leave us alone? I need to... Discuss something." The prince seemed unsure of what he'd said, which was pretty evident, but the nurse didn't question it. She simply gave a soft nod and a smile to the prince, completely ignoring the vampire, before treading out of the room.

Marshall had never really been liked by the candy kingdom, always being hated but they all had legitimate reasons: harmful pranks, dangerous scares, wreckage, havoc and many other dismays mostly caused by the vampire. Marshall seemed to not care, slowly going numb to all the hateful comments over the decades he lived. But, deep down inside, every comment still hurt. He may not have had a beating heart but he could still feel emotions.

Marshall just sat quietly as he watched the nurse scamper away, a slight look of anger still on his face. If only he wasn't in so much pain, he would've attacked the living cake and would've scared the toots out of her. His evil thoughts were stopped when he felt the edge of his bed sink down, forcing him to check what caused it... Gumball had taken a seat on the bed, his once stoic appeal simmered down to one of genuine curiosity and another emotion Marshall could not pick out. "Do you know ho-... wait, let me reword that," he took a soft breath and relaxed further, his slightly stiff muscles relaxing. "How old are you?" The prince was careful not to say anything that would trigger the vampire or provoke him to start arguing like he always did. "I mean, how old do you think you are right now?"

Marshall didn't look at the taffy in confusion, but rather with understanding and very, very cocky smirk. "Old enough to piss your dad, but not old enough to be your dad. Only 'daddy' to you, sweet cheeks" The vampire spoke in a rather husky tone, even adding a wink at the end. This utterly surprised the taffy, forcing a deep blush upon the already fluorescent cheeks.

"O-oh..." his voice was soft and subtle, hiding the soft sting that followed with the flirtatious comment, knowing that Marshall would never think well of the taffy if he had his memories. "H-how about we stay away from those for now... those, inappropriate remarks… ok? M-maybe later... I need you to answer seriously so I can help you heal, ok?" He was still quite flustered, raking a hand through his hair to calm his nerves down.

Marshall frowned, crossing his hands over his chest, already bored of that plan but actually enjoying the other's reactions.  
"I'm over a hundred years old. Impressed? Bet you've never seen someone so old and so hot, have you?" The vampire's mood lightened a bit, a smirk playing at his lips again as he lifted his brows suggestively.

Gumball gave a wide-eyed glance at the other, blinking a couple of times but not really giving the reaction that Marshall had wanted. "Oh, glob... you've lost A LOT of your memory..." Marshall could only gawk at the taffy and speak half of a "what" before being interrupted by the taffy who further explained. "I'm over a thousand years old, like you, we met each other when you were 300-something years old..." Gumball knew the exact year and month but it didn’t fit or seem appropriate to say.

"O-oh..." The vampire sat up, placing a palm on his forehead only to pull away instantly, bothered by the bandage wrapped around his forehead. The two sat in a slight awkward silence for a bit before Marshall cleared his throat. "So... you know me...?" Gumball only nodded, keeping his eyes anywhere but on Marshall, his eyes finding comfort in staring at his fiddling fingers. A sudden interest peeked in the vampire, forcing him to scoot closer with high curiosity and childish demeanour. "You know me so that means it's only fair that I get to re-know you again! I'll question you and you'll answer me, ok?"

Gumball didn't know how he felt about this idea, especially since their relationship was courser than 40 grit-paper, the roughest sand paper, but he still nodded. "Great! Now, tell me what your name is!"

Marshall's excitement towards such a simple question made Gumball happy, smiling at the other's inner child that was slightly seeping out. "My name is Barnaby Gumball and I am the prince of the candy kingdom," there was pride in his voice as he sat up straight and held head high.

"A sweet and fancy name for a sweet and fancy prince." Marshall bowed down slightly, not too much to hurt the wound on the side of his rib cage, only to return back to his position not a second later, amusing the prince of taffy. "Now, bubble butt" Gumball gave a semi glare at the comment to which Marshall stuck his tongue out in a mischievous way. "What are you, to me? Friend? Prince and I a citizen? Or...?" Scum of the earth. A low life rat. A chewed up wad of gum that no one wanted. A gum sucked dry of its taste that needs to be thrown out. Etc. Etc. Now, these weren't things that Gumball made up, presumptions thoughts, that Marshall thought of him but in fact, these were actual things the vampire had said to his face over the years. Countless times.

Gumball visibly saddened at his thoughts, shrinking in to himself a little, his pride vanishing within a second. Gumball never thought negative about the other, let alone say it to him. He always told himself that the vampire never meant what he said, that it was always the heat of the moment and that the vampire cared about him just as much as he cared about the other -- even though he knew very deep down that those were all lies. He knew that the vampire had trust issues and didn't forgive people easily so he only defended himself in arguments or just completely ignored the chest aching words. His mind came back to the present subject when a soft poke was felt at his arm, directing his eyes at the one who bore the action. Marshall rose both his eyebrows twice in a questioning manner, silently asking what was up. Gumball let out a deep breath, straightening himself back up a bit before turning to the other. "I'm..." your friend. No, not really... but it was a new start, a clean slate to make things better! Go on Gumball, you can do it! "I'm your boyfriend..."

The two looked at each other in shock, both just as surprised as the other. This really wasn't how Gumball had imagined things would turn out. He only wanted to say friend but ended up adding the extra word in front of it, forgetting the gap between the words, and completely changed the definition without even meaning to!

Before the two's relationship had become so fucked up, they had loads of conversations about things that even they didn't remember. They would laugh, cry, have fun, hang out and basically do everything together! They were a friendship everyone envied and longed to have. As years went on, Gumball started to develop feelings for the vampire, feelings that were forbidden yet the taffy had felt it and at one point, they became so strong that he didn't know how to handle them. He blamed the vampire for them, growing uncomfortable around him and unintentionally pushing him away. The two tried to get along together but Marshall couldn't understand why Gumball would ignore him, yelling and arguing with the taffy who could only give excuses and listen to the verbal torment. Each comment would pierce through his already aching heart, confusing him to the bare bones and further provoking him to keep away from the vampire. Quite ironic since he'd felt nothing but warmth when he was around the vampire, the only thing making it cold was the other's icy words.

Maybe this was the reason Barnaby's brain decided to say what it had said.

Marshall, on the other hand, was shocked because of a whole different reason. "I'm gay!?" He nearly shouted out as if it were the end of the world. "I only flirted with guys because I thought their reactions were priceless but like... I'm gay...? Ok, maybe I did think some reactions were cute... and maybe the thought of a guy liking me wasn't as bad... ok maybe I'm just a little gay..." He flopped back in bed, letting out a groan of pain before staring at the ceiling, still in shock. "Wait!" He sat back up again with such speed that he almost fell on top of Gumball. "What about Ashely?! I was dating her, wasn't I?! So I'm not gay! I'm bi!" For some reason, this seemed to calm the vampire down just a little, offending Gumball ever so slightly.

"You hate her with a burning passion, she sold your precious teddy bear, Hambo, for a _stick_." Gumball spoke nonchalantly, a very sour taste in his mouth at the mentioning of her name.

"SHE _WHAT_!?" Marshall's voice was a high screech and his face contoured into one of a demon, beyond pissed and enraged by that one sentence.

"Woah, woah, Marshall! Fionna and Cake have already beaten her up! And the teddy's back at your place. You can relax..." That seemed to work but Marshall's anger had turned to confusion. "They'll be here soon; you can ask who they are personally." Marshall nodded, slouching forward slightly, a soft heart ache growing in his chest. She was still someone he dated, cared for, and trusted... Betrayal was the last thing he expected.

His vibrant red eyes scanned everything of the prince he could see, even slightly floating up and tilting to get a better angle. Gumball grew slightly self conscious about the hard check out session Marshall was having, forcing the taffy to stiffen up and act like he wasn't bothered by it. A few more seconds passed of this before Marshall sat back in his seat with a huge dorky smile. "I'm a lucky man then, I guess. I've got the hottest boyfriend alive! But of course, I'm still hotter. I just fit in the 'not alive' category." Marshall snickered to himself, finding his self loathing and joke hilarious.

Meanwhile, Gumball hadn't heard beyond the first line, his face too red and his heart beat too fast to comprehend his surroundings. He had to curl up and bury his face into his hands, taking deep breaths to calm him down, the only part of the blush that was shown was from the tip of his ears. Gumball couldn't even remember the last time he'd been complimented by the vampire and now that he had been, with an added bonus of being claimed, it was just too much for the prince.

This shocked Marshall, causing him to stop his laughter and reach for the other's hands, hesitantly but delicately pulling them away, which was another shocker for Gumball since Marshall absolutely _hated_ touching the gum. "Hey... What's wrong...? You're acting like I've never complimented you before..." Marshall let out a short, nervous chuckle as Gumball avoided eye contact, indicating that his last statement was true, completely smearing the smugness off of the vampire. "Why..." Marshall had never been this confused in his entire life, then he has been in one day, something he could guarantee without having his memory. "With such a cute reaction such as that, I know for a fact I'll be complimenting you all the time!"

Gumball softly pulled his hands away from the others grip, feeling the other's nails gently scrape against his skin, Marshall not wanting to let the other go. "We just... we had a very bad relationship..." which wasn't a lie but in this context, it kind of was. "We were so close to each other at the start... like really close, but... as time went on... we became poison for one another... I cared too much to let you go... and I couldn't bring myself to break up with you... you..." he cut himself off there, his eyes dropping to the silky bedding which his fingers now nervously played with. "You seemed like you were just waiting a few more days to break things off... which I never let happen... just made things come up, ignored you or even forced you to come over -- which would always end with screaming and crying -- but I just..." His breathing wavered, becoming rigid as his eyes became glossy with soon to fall tears. "I'm so sorry... I'm so selfish! I should've just told you we didn't know each other and let you be free from me..." a soft tear trickled down slowly. Then another. And within a second, Gumball was crying fast, the only thing that stopped him from sobbing ugly, were the taffy hands cupping his mouth tightly. Hundreds and hundreds of years of friendship could've just gone, disappeared with a single sentence and the only one who'd mourn the loss would be the taffy. Gumball was really, really trying hard not to cry, but the more he thought about how much joy the vampire had once brought into his life, the sadder he got.

Marshall quickly pulled the other against his chest, clasping his hand tightly around the other in a comforting hug. "Hey! Hey! Shhh... Don't worry... Just... Just calm down... I'm not mad at you for doing what you did... I know how much it hurts when someone forgets you... I promise... I won't forget you... again.... I won't forget you again..." The vampire pulled away and once again gently held the other's wrists, tugging them away from the other's face. Gumball didn't look his best at the moment, but to the vampire he seemed like a perfect work of art. "Come here... let's re-start and make things right, ok?" He moved his hand to the other's waist and pulled Gumball onto his lap right before wrapping both his arms around his waist, Gumball's subconsciously moving to straddle the other in a way to hug the other properly and be more comfortable. A soft, caring and slightly awkward hug.

Gumball's sobbing stopped instantly after he was on the other's lap, his body slightly stiffening at the foreign feeling of affection that he hadn't even felt from his parents. "O-oh..." it took a few seconds, but Gumball gradually started to ease into the touch which Marshall replied with a soft hum of approval. "Thank you..."

"Don't thank me yet! We're starting from the very top so I'll have to take you on a date," he took a soft pause, "seeing as how that's not an option, I'll get you used to compliments." The vampire's dorky smile returned back to its place, this time hoping to stay. Gumball only responded with a numb nod, intrigued by the idea. "Hmmm..." Marshall examined the taffy closely, thinking up very corny and cheesy compliments that would hopefully make the other laugh but before that, he needed to know how far he could compliment without sounding like an utter creep. "What's the last compliment you remember me telling you?"

Marshall's hands reached up and wiped away the wetness from Gumball cheeks, taking this opportunity to tuck a strand of taffy hair behind Gumball's ears, waiting patiently for an answer. "Uh..." Gumball had no idea what he was supposed to say. He didn't remember the last time they genuinely sat down and had a conversation, let alone be told a compliment. "I don't remember the last time..." He softly mumbled, his head leaning into the other's touch. It wasn't normal at all for Gumball to be near Marshall peacefully, let alone be straddling his lap whilst he was being complimented and in all honesty, he didn't even realize where he was sitting, too busy distracted by this sudden wave of kindness.

A soft frown crept on the vampire's lips, genuinely feeling bad for being so mean to the one he'd apparently "confessed his affection" to. "Well... do you know why? Like why we were so distant from each other?" Marshall's hands dropped down to the other's legs, placing them onto the other's knees rather than on the thighs, still just testing the waters and determining how far gone they were in their relationship.

Violet eyes followed the pale hands, only now realizing the position they sat in. If it were any "normal" circumstance then the taffy would've surely became all red and flustered, but the heaviness of the question just simmered the reaction down to a light blush. "Well..." his gaze stayed affixed at the small comforting movement the hands had started to do, rubbing soft circles that oddly did ease the prince up but not quite enough. "I... I guess I'm the one to blame for all of this... not guess... for sure... no doubt that I was the one to mess us up. I got too busy running my kingdom that I started ignoring you," which partially true, "and you really didn't like that, just wanting a few minutes of my time but I couldn't fit that into my schedule. I thought you used to play pranks and partially destroy my kingdom for attention, but it was because you were angry... pretty ironic since you were just adding to my work..." Gumball gave a small sigh and placed his hands on the other's, stopping the motion. "We should stop... I'm not good with compliments, specifically from you and I don't want you to end up regaining your memory and being disgusted by what you've done..." If he just acted like he did when Marshall was just his "friend," then maybe the other's memory will come faster and they wouldn't have more of a reason to hate one another.

Marshall watched the other get off of him, moving to stand next to the bed and brush away any creases that had formed on his tunic. The frown that was on Marshall's lips remained, now mirroring the one on the taffy's lips. The atmosphere changed for the worse, turning to a more distant and awkward situation. All monitors in the room were shut off, quite useless on a vampire with an pulse-less heart. The bed Marshall sat on was lonesome in the small room, a window on the right wall that was covered with heavy curtains for the vampire's sake. A very shiny couch sat under it, looking as though it would let out a very irritating skidding noise if you sat on it and a medium potted plant on either side. The left side of the room held the door to the exit which Barnaby blocked the view of. A black TV sat towards the foot of the bed atop a simple stand, not having any channel to switch to though, just to make the empty room less empty. Marshall's eyes could have been wondering and looking at nearly anything the room provided, like the simple designs of the ceiling or how the curtains swayed ever so slightly, depicting the windows were slightly ajar for the wind to come in and yet they stayed affixed on the prince. Of course the prince could feel the other's eyes bore into him but refused to match with it, still feeling awfully guilty and ashamed of what he'd just done. "I don't think I find you disgusting... If it were... My normal instincts or muscle memory or something scientific like that would've told me to stay away from you..." Gumball knew better than Marshall did. He could remember the arguments they'd had and the way Marshall would look at him as he spoke, he knew better than to believe the new Marshall's words.

And with that, Marshall's statement was ignored. A simple step forward to the machines and the drop of all emotions from his face clarified he wasn't continuing that specific conversation. "I'm confused as to why you lost your memory but as for your wounds, you were attacked by some sort of an acidic blade. The wounds aren't as deep as when you came in so that means your regenerating ability is working but because the acid is still trying to eat away at your flesh, it's taking a while." Marshall didn't appreciate being ignored, but kept his thoughts to himself and gave a simple nod. "I have some medication you need to be taking. Also I'm not sure if your memory will re-erase after a while or not, so you'll have to be monitored for at least 36 hours." He took a few steps closer to the machines, ducking down slightly picking up two bottles that lay on the bottom rack that held up the devices. "I specially made them red for you..."

This sort of confused Marshall, forcing him to scratch the back of his head as he took the two pills being handed to him. "But I drink blood...? I can't eat these..."

Now Gumball was the one confused, momentarily forgetting that he'd lost his memory. "Oh... no, you can drink the tints and shades of red... You discovered that before you met me so around your 200th-something age." Before the awkward silence could return again, he placed the two bottles back to where he'd gotten them from before standing back next to the vampire.

"So how do I do that...?" Marshall spoke and in return, Gumball shrugged. How was the taffy supposed to know how he drank red? "Ugh..."

"You, kind of just... Poked the red bit in to your teeth and sucked? You told me that you could also taste the food along with its nutrients when you sucked the colour, let's just hope that same thing happens for the pills too." Marshall nodded, taking the dark maroon pill first and poking it on to his right fang. It took a few seconds and a couple of sucks before he got the hang of draining the colour, smacking his mouth a couple of times and getting rid of the weird taste afterwards. "Oh and Marshall," Gumball was weary with his words, making sure to think this through. "No one really knows we're dating," because they weren't, "because you know how people are with the whole... Same sex getting together thing."

Marshall nodded understandingly, remembering how many of his closeted friends he'd met throughout his life had to suffer because of how people couldn't let others be. "Yeah..." He didn't further question it, that small of an explanation cutting it and relieving the taffy. Marshall now examined the second pill in his hand, rolling it around a bit and lost himself in thought about the soft pink colour – resembling Gumball’s skin. Once the idea in his mind had enough thought, he looked Gumball right in the eyes and held the pill up close to his fang. "You watching?" Once he was sure that Gumball was watching, he poked the pill into his left fang draining the colour with ease, the lighter colour being easier to suck than the darker since there wasn’t as much red as the other. He tossed the two grey pills somewhere in the room, not really caring about them. Still not breaking eye contact, he spoke "Can I suck _you_ like that too?" An innocent question but inappropriate undertone

Gumball's face turned a bright red, his mind taking that statement as an innuendo for something else, which Marshall didn’t intend. A few seconds pass as he tried mustering up words, letting his mouth stay half open before finally speaking. "Y-yes... But I recommend you do not... It's very hard to bring back the colour..." He ran a hand through his hair, an attempt to slightly calm his nerve but as Marshall continued to stare into his eyes, it became too hard to both look away and calm himself down.

"A little sip hurt nobody?" He slowly started to float up, his lips turning into a devious grin. "And besides, why do I have the feeling you'll enjoy it?"

"Marshall! Don't you dare!" Gumball scolded as he took a step back, readying himself for the attack, but it wasn't quite enough. He was tackled down by the vampire with ease, his hands pinned on either side of his head as he was straddled by the other now. Gumball's initial reaction was to tuck his chin in, forcing a double chin form, in defence to his neck being sucked out of colour or him being drained of his blood which usually happened when they were friends.

Marshall stopped momentarily, holding back the urge to burst out laughing "Pfft- you look so ugly with the double chin." Marshall let out a few laughs and Gumball loosened up, glaring at the other who was having the time of his life. "It's adorable..." Marshall's laughter quieted as he spoke that, softly leaning down as though he were about to kiss the other -- a trap. Gumball quizzically darted his eyes from Marshall's lips to his closing eyes before softly mirroring his actions, an increasing giddiness forming in the pit of his stomach. When Gumball was most vulnerable, Marshall pulled away, surprising the taffy and then morphed his face to one of his demonic beast, scaring the fuck out of Gumball.

The taffy was so horrified that he forgot to breath, holding his breath as his entire body stiffened, bracing the attack that his body had yet to get used to even though he's been in this exact situation countless times, minus the attempt to kiss. To the taffy, it felt like hours of torture where as to the vampire, it was a few seconds of pure enjoyment. The whole moment was interrupted by a loud gasp coming from the now open door.

Marshall was harshly pushed off the prince and the prince was helped up by the same person who'd pushed the vampire away, Fionna. The adventuress bared a sword in one hand, pointed at the attacker who now lay on the floor, slightly annoyed. "I knew it was you! You were the one who always beat up PG wasn't it!?" Marshall's eyes widened at the accusation that he could not recall at all. His scarlet eyes darted from the stranger and the prince, searching for a truth that wasn't going to be received through looks.

"No, no... No... N-no, it wasn't him, Fionna..." his lie was pretty evident but the other two didn't question it, knowing that the prince would keep denying it. A pink trembling hand reached over to push aside, the sword but his actions were shot down by an intense glare from the adventuress. Though that didn't last for long after she spotted the soon to fall tears in the others eyes, forcing pity from her and causing her to put back her sword. "W-we were just having some fun... And besides..." His breathing was rigid, only evident when he exhaled a deep breath. "He's lost almost all of his memory..." Gumball refused to look at the vampire, fear and adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

Sometimes, when Gumball and Marshall were too tired of yelling or were too enraged to verbally deal with their argument, they would end up in a fist fight. Which was always a horrible idea since Gumball was nothing compared to the vampire. Even though he practiced many different fighting techniques, Marshall had demonic strength which he never hesitated to abuse whilst fighting the latter mean while Gumball was always hesitant while fighting. Gumball was absolutely defenceless against the other's attacks and would always be the one left bruised, his attacks absolutely ineffective. This caused an internal fear for the other to set in, rising back up here and there whenever he saw the other's demonic form. No one knew about this though, either Gumball would be able to hide the wounds or give an excuse such as his experiment exploding or anything else that would satisfy his kingdom but not Fionna.

Fionna sighed and rubbed her face slightly, frustrated, angry, and worried for her two best friends. She stood like that and took a deep breath, waiting for herself to calm down slightly before straightening up and grabbing Gumball's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze to which Gumball gave a reassuring smile. "I have to go work... I'm glad you're here now. I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on." Gumball swallowed his fear and turned to Marshall, giving him a small smile as well before exiting the room.

Marshall stayed on the ground, feeling absolutely horrible and ashamed himself with a single thought in his mind, "Did I abuse him...?"

※※※

The rest of the day followed with a scolding from Fionna which could be summed up to "No pranks on Gumball, He can explode and die." Which wasn’t false. To an extent. Fionna caught up Marshall on whatever he’d missed and they became best friends once again within a few hours and by the end of the day, they went out for another adventure in a stray dungeon. Marshall didn't return back to the castle until the next night, forced to stay over at Fionna's since he forgot he still burnt in the sun. Gumball on the other hand was worried shitless about the other, his mind racking up many different situations where the vampire could have been injured or even worse, dead. So the first thing the taffy did when he saw the vampire back and healthy was hug him, shocking the vampire that he wasn't still mad at him and realizing the taffy genuinely cared about him, which in turn only made him feel worse for what he'd done two days earlier. They exchanged apologies and forgiveness for a bit before settling on to Gumball's bed. The vampire refused to leave the other's side, wanting to show him that he wasn't who he used to be and wanted to change for the better.

Instead of staying next to Gumball, for three days like he was supposed to, he stayed with him for eleven months, doing what couples do best: showing each other affection towards one another. They went on countless dates and had countless cute moments that Gumball knew for sure he'd remember forever. Marshall sometimes snuck the vampire out to a serene clearing of land where he'd compare Gumball's eyes to the stars, other times he'd take the taffy through dark forests and showed him how the creatures of the night can be just as beautiful as those of the day or simply took him to his house, safer there than at Gumball's castle where they could easily get caught, and talk about nonsense but Marshall specifically loved when they'd sneak to Gumball's lab and did "science".

As for time, Gumball had loads now. He was having the time of his life, living in pure bliss that he never knew he could. He was always smiling, always ready to finish his work quickly now that he had someone motivating him to have a break, he'd greet anyone he would meet and he would even do his bi-weekly baked good day where he would bake for his entire kingdom once every two weeks. Not only did his economy and kingdom have a boost from his sudden joy of doing everything, but so did Marshall. They didn't argue throughout the entire time, the only arguments they had was whether they should watch a thriller movie or a romantic movie on movie night, to which Marshall would always win with his choice -- Gumball always giving in to his baby bat eyes. Unfair, yes, but Gumball didn’t mind. Gumball of course wasn't a fan of the vampire's choice and did complain about it here and there but it didn't stop Marshall from picking horror movies, liking them especially because Gumball became extra jumpy and clingy. Times like these was where cuddling was best. Gumball would usually wrap himself around the other, quite funny too look at especially since gumball was a lot taller then the vampire.

Marshall was slowly but surely regaining his memories, which always helped him buy things for the prince and even on how to treat him on their dates: what flowers he liked, which foods were his favourite, etc. etc. On top of that, it also told him what not to do. For example, if Gumball's mumbling in his sleep, a bad and adorable habit of his, he shouldn't try and have a conversation because that usually turns his dream into a nightmare but that was also one thing Marshall couldn't stop himself from doing. More memories that Marshall started to remember, the more he started to get annoyed by the others presence. He tried forgetting the past but with each memory, he began to hate more and more. The bad memories over powering the good. Each kiss they shared started to feel like poison, each passing second they spent together felt like he was starting to suffocate and by the time he had all his memories, he was completely ignoring the taffy again. Gumball, on the other hand, had no idea Marshall had regained all of his memory. He thought that he was keeping his distance slightly and planning something for their anniversary that was very close, but only if he knew.

The night before their anniversary, Gumball had kindly texted Marshall to come over to his room to which the vampire oddly obliged. It didn't take him long to come over and Gumball was genuinely delighted to see the other's face after such a long time. A week exactly with no texts, calls, or physical appearances.

Marshall stood by the balcony doors, half inside and half outside as if he were still debating whether he should stay or not. His face held no expression and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his grey sweatpants. A soft breeze flapped his black tank top around ever so softly, but Marshall was unfazed by the cold. Gumball, on the other hand, stood nervously in front of the vampire, feeling rather cold in his boxers and night shirt. "What do you want?" Marshall spoke, a brow razing as he noticed the other was slightly cold. His mind ran over the scenario once more before deciding to use this to his advantage and not step further into the room, a way to see the other suffer slowly.

Gumball swallowed the urge to go change into something warmer or to ask Marshall to step inside by simply smiling and going over to his work desk. Atop the wooden surface was a small box which was wrapped with care, tied with ribbon and made with loads of love put into it. He picked the box up and walked over to Marshall with an even bigger smile, his nervousness vanishing into hope, knowing that Marshall would love his little gift and that he'd be proud of himself for making his vampire happy. "I got you this! In two hours, it's our anniversary but I wanted to give you his before hand." Gumball gave the box to the vampire with both hands, making sure that he wouldn't drop it even on accident.

Marshall's face remained emotionless and uncaring as he eyed the gift and Gumball's face, slightly annoyed that he was called all the way from his house to here for a gift he knew he was going to throw out. "Thanks..." His voice held no actual gratitude which stung Gumball's chest ever so slightly but he was sure that that would change after Marshall opened the box. The vampire then snatched the box out of the other's hands, feeling how cold they were in the process and smiling to himself, taking pride in making the person who really cares for him, suffer. He ripped open the wrapping and ribbon as though it was nothing, not caring if he accidentally damaged the inside at all.

Gumball's smile at this point was slightly wavering, watching as Marshall finally opened the lid to the box and glared at the insides of it. They stayed silent for a few seconds, Marshall just staring at its contents in shock and utter annoyance. "It's a guitar pick... made specifically from the three headed musical demon's tooth..." Gumball's voice was soft, his smile completely vanished at this point as Marshall grabbed the pick and threw the box on the ground. "If you play with that pick, they say that your music is always played with perfection and that it makes the best sound out of any other pick! And this combined with your axe guitar, you'll be the best musician in all of AAA!" The taffy's smile was slightly returning as he explained his gifts’ property, thinking about how proud Marshall would feel when he's on top of everybody else in music and how proud he'd feel for having such an amazing boyfriend.

The smile grew large when he saw a smile on the vampires as well, shaking away his fear of disappointing the other. "I already have this; you know?" Marshall shook his head before turning around and chucking the pick as hard and as far away as he could, with his added demonic strength it went pretty darn far.

Gumball's chest constricted in pain as he watched the whole scene play out, watching as that tiny thing held so much sentimental value that it broke Gumball slightly. He'd gone to extreme measures to get that, personally fighting the demon for a tooth which was not easy at all, even with Fionna's help. All his hard work and feelings just tossed away, but he couldn't let that bring him down just yet. As much as his heart ached, he still held his smile before speaking. "It's ok...! I'll just make up for that tomorrow! I've got a huge thing planned for our anniversary and I know you'll love it!"

Marshall turned with the same emotionless stare he had when he came, making the air around them thick and heavy to breathe for the taffy with his already aching chest. "No. No, we won't be." This surprised Gumball. What had gotten into the vampire? Why is he all of a sudden being so... So... So negative?! "You're a sick,  _sick_  man, Gumball." Each word came out like venom, reminding Gumball of all their old fights but surely, Marshall had changed, right? As Gumball tried to ask what was going on, Marshall interrupted and spared Gumball's breath. "How long did you think you were going to play me like a fool anyways?"

Gumball didn't know how to respond, the slight guilt he had for lying to Marshall rising and stopping him from making up an excuse to justify himself. "You just manipulated me and brainwashed me into doing what  _you_  wanted me to do. Boy, I bet you're proud of yourself. The great Barnaby Gumball, tamed the wild vampire and played him around his finger like he was  _nothing!_ " Marshall continued to spit out venomous phrases but Gumball kept quiet, only staring at the ground and hiding how hurt he was with every word, even curling into himself slightly. Marshall wasn't ok or pleased by this, his annoyance and anger finally showing on his face. "What the actual fuck is your issue, Gumball!? You know, everyone calls me a monster but they should really be calling you the monster because you're the one without the heart! You'll use anyone to your advantage and plan, just so you could have what you want! I can't believe you actually faked a relationship with me so I could stop causing trouble in your shitty little kingdom! I feel absolutely  _disgusted_  with myself that I could even touch you!  _You!_ A stupid little shit that really shouldn't deserve anything! The only reason you're even able to run a kingdom is because your people are just as  _stupid_  as you! They can barely tell the difference between left and right, how would they be able to tell that what you do isn't out of love but selfishness!" Usually, words never affected Gumball, they would just go through one ear and out the other but when someone you truly love, someone you completely trust is accusing of such heinous things, it hurts. And that's an understatement. Gumball had just wanted to spend a little extra time before their anniversary to just relax and be with one another, maybe even sing a song or two but he didn't expect this, not even considering this as being a possibility.

Soft tears were flowing down his cheeks now, his body visibly trembling from both the tears and the cold wind. "Here come the crocodile tears! You're just gonna try and fake those tears as if my words have ever affected you before!" Marshall rolled his eyes, stepping closer to gumball before holing on to Gumball's chin harshly, forcing the other's face up in an uncomfortable way. "I really wish you cried actual tears instead of this diabetic piss. At least that way I'd find some sort of entertainment watching your face melt off from the water."

Marshall in all honesty was just beyond hurt that he'd given up his time and heart to someone who didn't give a shit about him, which wasn't true but Marshall didn't know and was too stubborn to realize. Regardless of saying such things, he too genuinely cared for the other and his hateful façade wavered once he saw Gumball's crying face, his heart aching at the sight but his ego preventing him from stopping. He let go of Gumball's face with a harsh nudge and a low growl, stepping back before wiping his hand on his clothes as though he'd just touched the dirtiest entity in the world. "Glob... I fucking hate you so much." That was a lie, which was also the reason he refused to look at Gumball as he spoke this. "I'm leaving this hell hole for good. I better not fucking see you again or I swear, I'll beat you half to death! And you know by experience that I can do that when I'm mad!" He wasn't going to do that. Not anymore. He promised himself he wouldn't physically hurt the taffy anymore so if Gumball did show up, the most he'd do is scare him away.

Gumball finally looked at the vampire, his eyes growing wide as only one thought raced through his mind: Marshall's health. Gumball would give Marshall the two pills daily and he knew that they would help heal Marshall's head and so now that Marshall wouldn't ever see him again, he had to give him the medicine to take. "Wait!" He stopped the other, not to defend himself and argue back, but to maybe, hopefully, just coincidently soften the other's heart lightly enough for them to keep meeting. He rushed to his dresser and grabbed the two pill bottles before returning back to the vampire and giving them to him. "Make sure to eat each one daily..." He didn't want to think about the fact that the two had just broken up a day before their anniversary or pay any attention to anything that was said to him just so he could smile at the vampire one last time. Smile a smile that was filled with nothing but pain and sorrow yet somehow, still also held love and care for the other. Smile even through the tears that continued to stream down his face.

Marshall's heart did soften and it ached at what Gumball had just done. In this particular moment, Gumball was the most selfless person and even Marshall couldn't deny that. The vampire hesitantly took the medicine from the other's hands, his anger telling him to dump the drugs onto his head and give him another piece of his mind but he couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to shatter that smile once again. He regretted every word he said now, but it was beyond too late and he couldn't do anything but fly away from the room and leave the prince to mourn alone and abandoned. He thought he'd feel a lot better after he let out all his anger and all the truths he'd suppressed within him out onto Gumball, but he actually just felt worse than before and all his truths had just suddenly twisted into lies. Lies that would burden him for the rest of his life.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Credits to Alex Helmer for helping me edit the fic!


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